196 



CONGREGATIONALISTS. 



been properly atoned by the Turkish Govern- 

 ment, and for which our own Government has 

 never properly sought redress. "We wish to 

 express our serious judgment that a much more 

 energetic policy is required, we do not say for 

 the protection of the missionaries, but for the 

 honor of our own country." The meeting re- 

 solved, with reference to Japan, that 



Whereas, The progress of Japan during the last 

 twenty years in legislative, civil, and criminal proced- 

 ure, education, customs, institutions, and religious 

 liberty, now gives reasonable assurance of the ade- 

 quate "protection of the property j the person, and the 

 religious faith of foreigners residing there : therefore, 



Resolved^ That in accordance with the known wish 

 of the Japanese Government, and the express desire 

 of Ameiican missionaries in Japan, our own Govern- 

 ment should, by a revision of existing treaties, ac- 

 knowledge the real progress made in Japan since our 

 first treaty with that country was framed, and that 

 those provisions which exempt the citizens of the 

 United States from the operation of Japanese law 

 should be also revised, with a view to their early ab- 

 rogation, so far as the interests of Christian civiliza- 

 tion may seem to require. 



II. Congregationalists in Great Britain. The Con- 

 gregational Churches of England and Wales 

 return 2,803 churches, 1,378 stations, and 166 

 mission stations, with a total of 1,568,357 sit- 

 tings. A comparison of the returns for the 

 several years shows that since 1851 the num- 

 ber of buildings used for purposes of wor- 

 ship has increased by 1,103, and the number 

 of sittings by 565,850 ; giving an average 

 increase of 33 buildings and 17,147 sittings 

 per annum. 



Congregational Union of England and Wales. The 

 annual meeting of the Congregational Union of 

 England and Wales was held in London, May 

 11. The Rev. John Thomas, of Liverpool, pre- 

 sided. Full statistics of the membership of the 

 churches were not presented, but the secretary 

 said that, so far as had been ascertained, there 

 had been an increase of members, and great 

 activity in special mission-work. Resolutions 

 were adopted pressing the subject of the dis- 

 establishment and disendowment of the Church, 

 and expressing the hope that the members of 

 the Union would everywhere discharge their 

 electoral duties with fidelity and earnestness, 

 seeking to secure the election of candidates 

 actuated by patriotic and Christian motives. 

 Other resolutions congratulated the Govern- 

 ment on the prospect of a peaceful solution of 

 the difficulties with Russia, and extolled its 

 ability and patriotism. The declaration was 

 also recorded that the meeting, " while depre- 

 cating all action that would lessen the rights 

 of property, and recognizing the conditions 

 which at the present time control the markets 

 both of labor and material, affirms it to be the 

 duty of every Christian citizen to seek by all 

 means in his power to diminish the inequalities 

 which unjust laws and customs produce in the 

 condition of those who are common members 

 of the state, to endeavor to bring about such 

 changes in the modes of property in land as 

 shall lead to a fairer distribution of it among 



the people, to a more profitable employment 

 of it in the production of the common good of 

 the people, to the better housing of the poor 

 and the relief of the overcrowding of the cities; 

 and further, that it calls upon every Christian 

 to remember that the so-called laws of trade 

 and economies are not the only rules which 

 should direct the transactions of manufactur- 

 ers, traders, laborers, and purchasers." 



The autumnal meeting of the Union was held 

 at Hanley, beginning Oct. G. The Rev. Dr. 

 Thomas presided, and spoke in his address on 

 the subject of disestablishment, saying that the 

 Church of England would gain most by that 

 measure. They demanded the separation of 

 religion from the state for the sake of religion 

 itself. As politicians they asked for disestab- 

 lishment for the sake of the state, and that 

 was the only ground on which the question 

 could be discussed in Parliament. The treasur- 

 er of the jubilee funds said that the year's 

 receipts on account of them had been, includ- 

 ing certificates, 96,525, and that the balance 

 in hand was now 3,685. In answer to an ap- 

 peal, 400,000 had been promised, and of that 

 sum 346,000 had been already paid. Besides 

 the usual delegates from the Scottish and Irish 

 Congregational Unions, a delegate was present 

 from the Free Churches Union of Norway. It 

 was decided to send a delegate to the Senate of 

 Free Churches to be held in France in Novem- 

 ber. A resolution was adopted declaring u that 

 the recent growth of sacerdotalism in the teach- 

 ing and observances of the Established Church 

 of England, and in the pretensions of some of 

 its clergy, involves, in the judgment of this as- 

 sembly, great danger to the faith and moral 

 character of the people, and the assembly re- 

 gards it as incumbent on those who still adhere 

 to the leading doctrines of the apostolic faith 

 to provide against the danger by assiduous in- 

 culcation of Scriptural truth in the pulpit, the 

 Sunday school, and the Christian family." 



London Missionary Society. The ninety -first an- 

 nual meeting of the London Missionary Society 

 was held in London, May 14. Mr. Joseph Rus- 

 ton, M. P., presided. The total income of the 

 society had been 101,103, and the expendi- 

 tures 125,218; while the indebtedness had 

 risen to 11,473. Trouble or the apprehension 

 of it had been met in the missions in almost all 

 parts of the world; in Central Africa, in con- 

 sequence of the war on the Zambesi ; in Mada- 

 gascar and the Loyalty Islands, as a result of 

 the operations of the French ; in southern 

 China, from the feeling engendered by the 

 Franco-Chinese war; and in the south Indian 

 stations from cholera. India was regarded as 

 the society's most important field, and com- 

 plaint was made of the energy with which in- 

 fidel literature was circulated in that country. 

 An examination of the educational reports 

 of the Indian Government Commission showed 

 that while 2,604,200 pupils, or 2,487,000 boys 

 and 117,200 girls, were under instruction, only 

 177,000 were taught in mission-schools. 



